FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2013 file photo, Richard Simmons arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Simmons sued the National Enquirer, its online outlet and its parent... (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

(Newser)
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It's a big loss for Richard Simmons—but a win for transgender rights. In a tentative ruling issued Wednesday, LA Superior Court Judge Gregory Keosian signaled that he plans to reject Simmons' defamation lawsuit against the National Enquirer and Radar Online, which published stories claiming the star had undergone a "shocking sex surgery"—because it isn't defamation to call somebody transgender. Keosian wrote that wrongly saying somebody is transgender does not inherently expose them to "hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy," Variety reports. Some might have contempt for transgender people, but "the court will not validate those prejudices by legally recognizing them," he wrote.

Keosian who is expected to issue a final ruling in the coming days, wrote that being transgender is an "immutable characteristic" like race, medical conditions, or sexuality. In previous cases, he wrote, courts have found that "misidentification of certain immutable characteristics do not naturally tend to injure one’s reputation." Simmons' attorneys argued that his dignity had been diminished by false stories claiming he was living as a woman called Fiona. "When you make something up intentionally and put it on the cover there’s an inference you can certainly make that somebody’s reputation is going to be harmed," said attorney Neville Johnson, per the Hollywood Reporter.

The tabloids get furious when celebrities go AWOL or keep to themselves. To punish them they begin to make up fake stories about them to try and engage them or draw them out of hiding. They are the most despicable, lowlife form of fake-news there is. Everything is attributed to "someone close to the situation" which is complete horseshlt. The only way to fight them is to never, ever, ever buy a tabloid magazine.

Jim

Aug 31, 2017 8:39 PM CDT

He's not transgender, he's homosexual. It's no big deal. He should just own it and get on with his life.